Preemie Classic: Bringing Awareness to Premature Birth with a Girls All-American Basketball Game

On the beautiful date of November 4, 2015, I became a father.

Not in the traditional way though.

My son was born just 24 weeks into the pregnancy. It was a very frightening experience for a 25-year-old having his first child. Kody Spencer Hilton weighed 1 lb 11 oz and was born without functional lungs, facing a low life expectancy.

While other parents took their children home shortly after birth, I spent every day in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the first four months of Kody's life.

I learned a lot during those four months, particularly about premature births. By definition, preterm birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks. Each day was different, and every week posed a new challenge. Eventually, though, Kody came home without any issues and is considered by some to be a "miracle baby."

Before my son, I never knew premature birth was a thing. I was oblivious to it, not to mention, the majority of the time I was the only father in the NICU.

And this is something that can affect anybody. Former NBA guard, JR Smith daughter, Dakota, was born at 23-weeks.

I started to ponder how we could raise more awareness about this phenomenon that impacts 10% of families in the United States. Naturally, sports was the first idea that came to mind, but I wanted to ensure it was something unique that involved women.

Women's basketball is gaining popularity every day, thanks to superstars like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson. While bringing together the world's top female players on the court can be challenging, a fantastic alternative is to focus on the high school level.

There is only one premier All-American game for high school girls: the McDonald's All-American Game. This event does an excellent job of ensuring that the women's side receives as much attention as the boys' game; however, the boys' game remains the main focus.

Bring in the Preemie Classic.

With the Preemie Classic, I believe it is essential to focus exclusively on women ballplayers. While I was impacted by the events surrounding premature birth, my experience was not the same as that of my son's mother. I was there to support both my son and her during that time. I think we should take a similar approach here.

One of the best things that happened to the WNBA was when Kobe Bryant began attending games with his daughters. Before that, there weren't many NBA players who publicly supported women's basketball by sitting courtside or wearing team apparel. Kobe's small gesture opened the door for other NBA stars to show their support more publicly.

It's a domino effect.

Incorporating a boys' game into the event might generate more attention and profit, but I believe it could undermine the principle that high school girls can attract the same level of attention independently. The best contribution from the boys would be to support the event as enthusiastic fans, helping to create a positive ripple effect similar to what Kobe Bryant initiated for the WNBA.

When considering who should be involved, March of Dimes makes an excellent title sponsor. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to ending preventable maternal health risks and deaths, reducing preterm births and infant deaths, and closing the health equity gap for all families. Partnering with March of Dimes for the Preemie Classic will enhance the event's educational value. They can help organize events and activations that will deepen the audience's understanding of premature birth, while the basketball game itself raises awareness of this important issue.

This idea emerged from my experience of spending four months in the NICU. I realized that other fathers were also undergoing similar "on-the-job training," striving to learn as much as possible about their preterm children. Incorporating sports into this process makes the learning experience much more enjoyable.